Archive for the ‘Chickpeas’ Category

This is another of our tried and true recipes; the recipe card is well splattered. It also garnered a “very good” written on the top of the card. I am not sure where I originally found this recipe as I wrote it on a 3×5 card and did not note the source. I searched the internet for the same recipe and only found a few similar recipes but none that matched this exactly. The original recipe calls for more curry paste and fewer chickpeas than what I use. Below is my adaptation of this tasty recipe. We like to serve this over white basmati rice.

Creamy Chickpea Curry

1 Tbsp oil

2 tsp red curry paste *

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic. minced

1 – 14 oz can lite coconut milk *

1 Tbsp soy sauce *

1-2 Tbsp sugar

2 – 15 oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1-2 medium tomatoes, chopped (or 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved)

1 cup fresh basil, torn

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add curry paste and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add onion and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for a minute more. Shake the can of coconut milk and pour into pan. Add soy sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the sugar, chickpeas and tomatoes. Heat until it is simmering once more. Remove from heat and stir in basil. Serve over rice.

Notes:

* Red curry paste can be found in small jars in the Asian section of a large supermarket. I use Thai Kitchen brand. Two teaspoons makes us sweat, but comfortably so. If you don’t like things too spicy, start with 1 teaspoon the first time.

* I prefer to use lite coconut milk when cooking and I can’t tell a difference in flavor.

* Use a gluten free soy sauce if you are cooking gluten free. LaChoy and San-J Wheat Free Tamari are both gluten free.

This recipe caught my eye because we love chickpeas (but unfortunately, not asparagus). I have substituted broccoli before in other recipes calling for asparagus and so I was happy to see Susan suggest it as a substitution. And when I saw that she cooked her polenta in her pressure cooker, I wanted to give that a try too as I have only made soups and beans in my pressure cooker since I got it in January.

So I made the polenta in the pressure cooker but it didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped. I usually make polenta in a heavy pot and have had continued success with that technique but I am not sure what I did wrong with the pressure cooker. The polenta began to burn on the bottom but we were able to scrape enough off the top, missing the burnt parts. I will likely try making polenta with my pressure cooker again although I am not sure it is any easier or quicker than the way I usually make it.

Instead of the asparagus called for in the original recipe, I used broccoli, which I steamed in a steamer basket on the stove. I added the lemon juice and peel just as Susan did. I made the chickpeas per the original but I doubled the amount it as I wasn’t sure it would be enough for us as well as for a bit of leftovers.

Unfortunately we were not thrilled by this recipe (although many people have reported great results over on Susan’s page). The chickpeas in their sauce were not very flavorful, although the lemony broccoli was tasty. As for the chickpeas, I am not sure if it was because I used a different ‘type’ of vegetable broth and not an un-chicken broth. I used Trader Joe’s vegetable broth, my usual broth. And so I wonder if this was the difference because I found that adding quite a bit of salt to the chickpeas helped. Perhaps my broth wasn’t flavorful or salty enough? Or was I just ‘off’ that evening? Let me know if you try it as I can’t figure out where I went wrong.

This is an old stand by recipe for us; we’ve made it for years. It makes a lot and can be eaten in a variety of ways so it is great to make when you know you will need some leftovers to munch on later in the week. I am not sure where the original came from, but here is my version.

Three Bean Tacos

2 tsp oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp chili powder *

1 Tbsp oregano

1-1/2 tsp cumin

1 clove garlic

3- 15 oz. cans of beans, drained and rinsed *

1 – 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, peppers and spices. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the beans and tomato sauce and 1/2 can of water (1/2 cup). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

In the picture above, I used a Brown Rice Tortilla from Trader Joe’s. They are pretty good, be sure to heat them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

I also enjoy eating the leftovers heated with some shredded cheese on top and some corn tortilla chips to scoop it up. I have also been known to make a taco salad out of it; just make a bed of lettuce, heat some of it up and place on top of the lettuce and sprinkle with cheese. Add whatever other salad topping you like.

Notes:

* Sometimes I use all regular chili powder, sometimes I substitute part of the chili powder with chipotle chili powder for a slightly different flavor.

* Our usual mix of beans is 1 can of pinto beans, 1 can of chickpeas, and 1 can of black beans, but you can mix it up with whatever you have in the cabinet, kidney beans, black eyed peas, cannellini beans, etc.

Cook pasta. Drain and set aside. Cook green beans to tender crisp and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add shallot, pepper flakes, parsley and basil. Saute until shallot has become translucent. Add garlic and bell pepper and saute until pepper starts to soften. Stir in tomatoes, garbanzo beans and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and then simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the pasta and green beans. Add yeast and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh basil.

Notes:
* Our preferred gluten free pasta is Trader Joe’s Brown Rice pasta – we prefer penne or spirals for this recipe.
* I used frozen green beans and just cooked them a bit in the microwave.
* I usedLewis Labs Brewer’s Yeast Flakes; they say gluten free on the package and are made from sugar beets, not beer. If you don’t have any, you could use grated Parmesan in it’s place.

The brewer’s yeast flakes are a good dairy free substitute, full of good stuff. They have a slightly cheesy taste and texture, especially when mixed into a warm dish such as this.

When cooking gluten free pasta, you should use a pot larger than you would for the same amount of regular pasta. The more water and room for the pasta, the better. I never add salt or oil to my pasta water. After you place the pasta in the boiling water, be sure to stir it up good to break apart the clumps of pasta. And stir it frequently while cooking, more often than you would regular pasta. Watch it closely and taste pieces frequently to see how close to done it is. You really want to catch gluten free pasta at al dente; otherwise it starts to turn to mush. Drain and rinse.

As I mentioned in my Meal Plan post earlier in the week, this is a recipe we had made previously and enjoyed. I hope you’ll try it. Let me know if you do!